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How The Travel Industry Is Driving Biometric Security Innovation

CTO for Veridium. Previously, John was Associate Director at ONR Global, London and the Johns Hopkins University APL.

Getty

Getty

We just survived the most wonderful time of the year -- holiday travel season. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported 72.3 million airline passengers in December alone. With a high volume of passengers, prices are higher and crowds are inevitable -- and the experience of air travel isn’t as easy and comfortable as it once was. But there is hope. A renewed investment in biometrics promises to speed up travel for all, making it easier to check in, board and clear immigration.

The implementation of biometrics is not being driven just for the sake of the consumer or for stronger security. It all comes down to the bottom line: travel drives global GDP growth. Keeping airports safe drives business, which creates jobs. The faster one can travel, the more money that can be made.

Travel Drives Global GDP Growth

Fundamentally, there is no denying that the travel sector brings prosperity to many nations. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the aviation, travel and tourism sector contributed to $2.3 trillion in GDP and provided 109 million jobs in 2016. The World Travel & Tourism Council forecasts that the travel sector will be supporting over 380 million jobs by 2027.

Another area in which we’ll see growth is in security for airports and on airlines. A recent Airport Technology article detailed how cybersecurity investments by airports and airlines were expected to grow to $3.9 billion in 2018, with identity/access management listed as one of the top priorities by airlines and airports under their cybersecurity investment programs.

Achieving Secure And Seamless Travel

WEF predicts that there will be a 50% increase in international arrivals by 2030. With an uptick like that, airports will face the challenge of maintaining a positive customer experience. The Known Traveler Digital Identity (KTDI) concept proposes that there is $150 billion in potential savings if we implement digital identity travel solutions to create seamless travel experiences for legitimate travelers. According to the KTDI project, the emerging technologies that will drive change are:

A distributed ledger to enable trust in the network without the control of one central authority.

Cryptography to allow an appropriate level of security in the authorization and sharing of information.

Biometrics to connect the physical and digital world and ensure the legitimate use of identity information.

Mobile interfaces and devices to allow travelers to carry their digital identities with them and to choose to share them accordingly.

Specifically, for biometrics, evidence of significant investment can be seen globally. The global facial recognition market is forecasted to be worth $6.49 billion by 2021, up from $2.35 billion in 2016, according to estimates from research company Technavio.

China, for instance, is investing heavily in facial recognition. Beijing’s new $12 billion airport is designed to handle up to 100 million passengers a year and will feature cutting-edge surveillance technology. While the use of facial recognition in the United States has led to controversy over privacy, like China, the U.S. also has much to gain by improving security in travel. We’re catching up, with over 23 airports testing facial recognition at either arrival or exit, including a commitment to adoption by the Orlando International Airport and an airline at the Los Angeles International Airport.

Additional airlines are experimenting with biometrics. According to a recent report by the Verge, “Delta integrated facial recognition into some bag drop stations last year, and JetBlue tested biometric boarding on flights to Aruba.”

Traveling At The Speed Of Light

Regulators and airport and airline authorities aren’t the only ones experimenting with biometrics. Many consumers are opting into the benefits of the technology directly. Some passengers have already been using biometrics to identify themselves at the airport through programs like CLEAR that replace photo IDs with a fingerprint scan.

The popularity of ePassports is on the rise. As of July 2018, Canada added fingerprints to many of its traveling requirements, and it was announced this past summer that Argentina will upgrade the country’s ICAO biometric passport. According to the same announcement, these ePassports are expected to “reduce costs, improve security and enhance the reliability of data reading at border control points.”

Airports that have integrated biometric solutions within their systems are just starting to see the initial benefits, with potential for even greater possibilities on the horizon. For example, take in-motion biometrics, which deliver new efficiency by identifying travelers without requiring them to stop for identity checks. This type of biometric authentication process can be used to transform a traveler’s experience, with their biometrics providing new, faster and more frictionless access while replacing traditionally slow processes.

To help illustrate this, imagine if airline travel were like a toll road and you are the “Easy Pass” token. There's no need to slow down. The goal is to use biometrics to change the way travelers enter and exit the country. In the future, biometrics could even enable international travelers to board flights, arrive at their destinations in other countries, and pass through Customs and Border Protection checkpoints -- all without needing passports.

So, this past holiday season, did you spot any of the new and exciting ways biometrics are being used around you? While expensive to get started, the benefits of investing in the technology are quickly outweighing the startup costs. I believe it’s only a matter of time before this emerging technology quickly becomes the new normal.